Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

bbr00ks My review is many a year too late to be of much use to anyone but oh well, I just watched it on my local oldies channel. This fun farce includes a really (surprisingly) heavyweight cast of instantly recognizable stars such as Vincent Price (the Thriller voice over guy as my daughter pointed out), Bella Lagosi (the Grinch thanks daughter!) and even Jack Nicholson looking quite young. The plot is played for fun and the cast mostly does well with the limited acting asked of them. Perhaps I had Harry Potter on the brain but (spoiler alert) final showdown between wizards seemed remarkably like The Order of the Phoenix fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort - right down the the medieval theme of the Ministry of Magic.

SimonJack The writers for this film had a heyday playing on words in connection with Edgar Allen Poe's classic poem, "The Raven." This was the earlier of two comedy-terror films released in 1963 with much of the same leading cast. The second film, "The Comedy of Terrors," had many more laughs. Still, this is a fun film to watch Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre in their haunts. Price plays Dr. Erasmus Craven – the first obvious wordplay. Lorre is Dr. Adolphus Bedlo. Since he spends half of his time turned into a raven, the writers might have switched their names. Karloff is Dr. Scarabus. A young Jack Nicholson plays Lorre's son, Rexford Bedlo. The rest of the cast are good. The Price and Karloff characters are antagonists with magical powers in "The Raven." With a rather lame script and not much humor in the dialog, many may find the movie dragging. Fans of the great fright masters of the past should enjoy it.

Leofwine_draca The credits for this film read like a role call of famous names. Samuel Z Arkoff, responsible for churning out billions of products in the '50s and '60s, is a producer while the screenplay was directed by none other than Richard Matheson, a famed horror writer. Roger Corman directed the film, and even non-horror fans will instantly recognise his infamous name. The story is loosely (very loosely) based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, which Price reads over the credits at the beginning. With production values like this, as well as an excellent ensemble cast, you have on your hands a sure-fire hit. THE RAVEN doesn't disappoint.Those expecting straight Gothic horror, however, will be disappointed, as the horror is virtually non-existent, taking a back seat to the numerous laughs on display here. I found some of the humour to be a bit laboured but not overly so. Price hams it up in his usual style and the role is perfect for him, as he plays the noble count (what other title would suit him?). Peter Lorre is also perfectly cast as an unlikeable man who is turned into a raven, and his snivelling role is at times rather tragic (note his reliance on alcohol) yet amusing. Karloff brings a true sense of menace as the evil conjurer, showing us he hasn't lost the sinister magic, while Hazel Court is on hand for the glamour aspect, surprisingly playing a villain this time around. Jack Nicholson ironically has an under-played supporting role, and we can see that he is still learning the ropes here and there is none of his over-the-top excess so typical of him, in fact his wooden acting is somewhat laughable.The special effects are also amazing for the time this film was made. Animation features heavily, and doesn't even look as dated as some films of the 1980s (CHILDREN OF THE CORN for example), as well as strings, wires, pulleys, fire, and many over tricks. At one point it looks like some kind of prism was used to shine light across the film (when the magicians are shooting their 'rays'). The production values are typical, with most money being spent on lavish costumes and a fiery climax (again, what else?). If you want to see a superb cast playing out a Poe film for laughs, then look nowhere else.

Robert J. Maxwell It's hard to believe this was written by Richard Matheson, who passed on just a few days ago, R.I.P. He wrote some fine short stories and a couple of neat scripts for "The Twilight Zone." But here, I suppose, trapped in the strictures of time and budget, the story is meandering and ultimately unimportant, taking second place to a variety of inexpensive special effects and whimsical conversation that aims at wit but never quite makes it. You want comedy? Here are Vincent Price and goggle-eyed Peter Lorre as two Medieval sorcerers trying on funny hats.There are a few amusing lines. Peter Lorre is changed back and forth from a raven to a human and in the latter configuration is given to complaining about how itchy the pin feathers are and how he's always being attacked by hawks. They're not VERY funny but at least someone was trying.I don't think the film deserves much more attention. Boris Karloff is the third sorcerer and I understand they had fun making this silly movie. Clowning around, Lorre opened one of the caskets and said, "Why, Jack WARNER!" I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. I doubt many viewers will, except maybe children.Poe's poem, "The Raven," is a genuine nightmare. I remember visiting the house in Philadelphia where he wrote it. A small piece of crumbling brick had fallen out of one of the walls and I pocketed it. I don't know why I'm mentioning that. It's probably a crime. But I've always admired Poe's work and often been moved by it, one way or another. And all we see or hear of the original raven is, I think, the first stanza (or part of it) of the poem, in a voice over by Price. For a fine reading, if anyone is interested, see if you can find Basil Rathbone's tape. But, as for this movie, why did they both to drag Poe in at all?